Hi friends!
A lot has happened in the past week, from the second-largest single-day protest in U.S. history, to a Pink Panther-esque heist at the namesake of my second-favorite Lorde song, to me finding out that your inbox has been saying this newsletter is from Local News International rather than me personally. (I’m Chris Vazquez, by the way. Dave’s former coworker at The Washington Post and current newsletter writer.)
If there’s a through line to the news stories that Dave has covered this week and that I’m recapping in this newsletter, it’s that people in power keep on acting wacky and the people they’re supposed to represent are figuring out how to hold them accountable. A government shutdown is threatening people’s job security, healthcare costs, access to food, and the swearing in of a democratically elected representative. Yet it’s not stopping government-sponsored kidnappings and military occupations of American cities.
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In the face of all that, millions of people took to the streets to show that they won’t stand for it. And while plenty of people have critiqued the philosophy and tactics of the ‘No Kings’ protests (some in better faith than others), many view it as at least a starting point for resisting fascism. Amid the daily onslaught of scary headlines, that’s what I’m holding on to. With that, let’s dig in to this week’s news.
Readers respond:
Ugh Dave you’re my favorite TikTok news source
A sh—tty response
The same day that millions of people across the U.S. joined ‘No Kings’ rallies to protest President Donald Trump, Trump Truthed a social of himself defecating on protesters. Protesters and organizers have said the rallies were less about a specific policy area and more about Trump generally exceeding his authority.
Supporters of the ‘No Kings’ protests say they give an outlet for concerned Americans and provide a starting point for more focused resistance. Right-wing critics derided the protests as “hate America” rallies. Analysts have drawn parallels to how other authoritarian governments have delegitimized political opposition.
Meanwhile, some leftists have critiqued the protests’ lack of specific demands and its response to the symptoms of fascism rather than its root causes.
How to end a government shutdown without really trying
After Congress receives a budget proposal from the White House, it has to pass its own budget resolution that sets discretionary spending levels.
After that, subcommittees draft and debate funding bills. If they can’t agree to pass those, the government shuts down. That’s where we are now.
When Congress passes either those funding bills or temporary budget legislation to reopen the government, and when the president signs that legislation, the government shutdown ends.
This video is part of Dave’s partnership with Free the Facts, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that empowers young Americans to learn and lead.
House Speaker to representative-elect: You’re not in group 7
Arizona’s attorney general is suing the House of Representatives and congressional officials for failing to swear in Adelita Grijalva, who was elected to represented the state’s 7th congressional district.
Grijalva, a Democrat, won a special election days after House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, sent the House home on recess. They haven’t been back since the government shut down on October 1.
Both Democrats and Republicans have accused Johnson of failing to swear in Grijalva because he doesn’t want her to cast a deciding vote in releasing the Epstein files — which she has promised to do.
This merger could build a Trump media empire
OK, business news does not come easily to me, so bear with me while I explain this story to myself like I’m five. You know Paramount? They made ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and Holly Golightly was my crush when I still thought I was straight and nobody pointed out the obvious. Anyway, Paramount merged with another media company called Skydance.
And you know Warner Bros. Discovery? Their logo is the first thing you see in Looney Tunes and they make DC Comics. Well, Warner Bros. Discovery is for sale. Experts and analysts see Paramount Skydance as the likeliest buyer. This opens the door for a Holly Golightly x Batman crossover, but at what cost?
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is the son of a Republican mega-donor and Trump supporter. That could hand control over some of the country’s biggest studios, streaming services and other subsidiaries — including CNN and CBS News — to a powerful Trump ally.
Recently, Paramount has settled a defamation lawsuit from Trump over a news segment he didn’t like, cancelled Stephen Colbert’s late night show after he criticized the president, and put a conservative opinion writer in charge of CBS News. This all happened under a powerful Trump ally’s leadership. It’s worth asking how that same leadership extending to CNN and Warner Bros’ other powerful media properties could bolster the Trump administration’s propaganda arm.
Each week, after running through the news Dave has covered, I turn things over to him for some analysis. Let’s head into Dave’s corner.
I have a confession.
I did not know the layout of the White House until about 17 hours ago. My suspicion is that many people didn’t know. In pop culture, we typically only see the main building.
Where are you now, President Bill Pullman?
Even my White House LEGO set is wing-less. LEGO did make a version that has the East Wing, but it’s now “retired” (I am not accusing you of demolishing the plastic brick East Wing, LEGO … but that old version is way better!).
Edited for accuracy.
Of course, the photos and videos of it destruction are shocking and a pretty solid metaphor for Trump’s second administration, as many have pointed out. More importantly, it demonstrates a brazen overreach by Trump, who clearly considers himself above any scrutiny, despite the pleas of preservationists.
In Normal Times™️, this would have been the scandal of the century. In our reality, which is apparently running alongside parallel to the upcoming season five of The Boys, it’s like the fourth craziest thing this week.
This is all to say that as a journalist, the hardest part of my job in our Actual Project 2025 timeline is choosing what to prioritize in coverage. So, I settled for making the East Wing story a part of Wednesday’s video, alongside other stories.
The most important story, in my opinion, is what’s happening with ICE. This is a highly-funded police force that’s consistently making false arrests, shooting at people (including a U.S. marshal) and kidnapping people.
Mainstream media and independent journalists alike are doing a decent job of reporting on the actions of ICE, though I would argue the language is not strong enough.
In 2020, The Washington Post spoke about “insidious form of systemic racism” that let to Floyd’s death. In 2025, The Post shies away from even using descriptors like “violent” for ICE agents, despite the mountains of evidence of violence via social media videos, splashed across the internet every day.
So, today, I made a video about the media and the billionaires that are shaping uneven coverage of a nation quietly slipping into fascism, for their own benefit. And no, I am not being subtle in including my former boss‘s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss Jeff Bezos, in this equation.
Let’s now head out of Dave’s corner to give you what you really came here for: the pet picture I include at the end of each newsletter to get you to scroll to the bottom. This is Trixie and she’s perfect.
This is Trixie and she’s perfect
And if you participated in this week’s link scavenger hunt, you may have found an article about the X-Men’s Red Triangle Protocol, which the characters use to resist telepathic influence. It was a neat symbol in an interesting comic book storyline about resisting fascism that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately! I wonder why!
Until next week,
Chris
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Since you made it to the end, you obviously love the newsletter. Help support my independent journalism by becoming a paying member. Here’s what you get:
📌 Early access to newsletters videos
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